The Oldest Guard: Forging the Zionist Settler Past

The Oldest Guard examines Zionist settler memory in and around private Jewish agricultural colonies in Ottoman Palestine, revealing how these communities were celebrated and forged in Zionist collective memory and the politics of Zionist settler firstness.

Format: Hardback
Length: 368 pages
Publication date: 10 August 2021
Publisher: Stanford University Press

The Oldest Guard delves into the intricate tapestry of Zionist settler memory, encompassing the private Jewish agricultural colonies (moshavot) established in late nineteenth-century Ottoman Palestine. While these communities, known as the First Aliyah, played a pivotal role in the development of the lucrative citrus and wine industries of mandate Palestine and Israel, absorbing tens of thousands of Jewish immigrants, they have often been overlooked or disregarded in the broader history of Zionism. Often perceived as conservative, lacking ideology, and resistant to Labor Zionist politics, these settlements have been viewed as outliers within the Zionist movement.

In her groundbreaking work, Liora R. Halperin challenges this perception by treating the First Aliyah as a symbol that was created and deployed only in retrospect. Through a meticulous examination of commemorative practices between the 1920s and the 1960s, Halperin weaves a rich and nuanced portrait of the ways in which private agriculturalists and their advocates within the Zionist center and on the right celebrated and forged the First Aliyah into Zionist collective memory. By drawing connections to memory practices in other settler societies, Halperin demonstrates the centrality of settlement to Zionist collective memory and the politics of Zionist settler firstness.

The Oldest Guard sheds light on the complex and multifaceted ways in which Zionist settlers remembered and commemorated their past. It explores the ways in which these settlers sought to assert their identity and claim their rightful place in the land of Israel, often at the expense of other Jewish immigrants and Palestinian communities. The book also delves into the ways in which the First Aliyah was mythologized and romanticized, with its pioneers portrayed as heroic figures who braved treacherous conditions and fought for the establishment of a Jewish homeland.

At the same time, The Oldest Guard also raises critical questions about the legacy of the First Aliyah. It explores the ways in which the settlement of agricultural colonies undermined the prospects for a peaceful resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as it displaced thousands of Palestinian farmers and led to the expansion of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The book also questions the extent to which the First Aliyah was a truly democratic movement, as it excluded many Jewish immigrants who were unable to afford the costs of settlement or who did not fit the ideological mold of the Zionist movement.

In conclusion, The Oldest Guard is a groundbreaking work that offers a fresh and insightful perspective on the history of Zionist settler memory. By challenging the conventional narratives and examining the complex and multifaceted ways in which Zionist settlers remembered and commemorated their past, Halperin provides a valuable contribution to our understanding of the Zionist movement and its impact on the region. The book is a must-read for anyone interested in the history of Israel, Palestine, and the Middle East, as it sheds light on the often-overlooked stories of the people who shaped the course of history.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781503628496